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State pro notes: Ex-Badger Horwath heads to Swedish club Ljungskile

02/10/2014, 6:30pm CST

By ERIC ANDERSON

Sweden's second-tier Superettan is proving to be a popular landing spot for Wisconsin players looking to play professional soccer.

At least five players with state ties are set to play in the league this season after goalkeeper Alex Horwath (UW) recently signed with Ljungskile SK, joining former Badgers teammate Aaron Nichols at the club in southwestern Sweden.

Keeper Matt Pyzdrowski (Marquette) and defender Eric Pothast (Marquette) are with Ängelholms FF, while midfielder-forward Andrew Stadler (Wauwatosa West) also is in the league having signed with Landskrona BoIS this offseason.

The 26-year-old Horwath played in USL PRO each of the past two years, with the Wilmington Hammerheads and VSI Tampa Bay, after starting his career as a Major League Soccer pool keeper in 2010 and spending 2011 with the New York Red Bulls.

Interestingly, the Rochester Rhinos of USL PRO announced late last month that they had signed Horwath to play in the third-division league again in 2014 – after he already was on trial with Ljungskile.

Rhinos coach Bob Lilley, speaking on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reporter Jeff Di Veronica's radio show "Kick This!," said that Rochester was aware of the interest in Horwath and received a transfer fee for him. (Full report)

Keeper Patrick McLain (Eau Claire Memorial), who has spent the past two seasons with Chivas USA in MLS, is on trial with the Vancouver Whitecaps. The 25-year-old McLain appeared in two regular-season matches for Chivas USA last season and was a regular for the club's team in the MLS Reserve League. He's interviewed in this clip, starting at the 1:10 mark. On Twitter:@PatrickMcLain24

Defender Andrew Stone (Green Bay Preble/UW-Milwaukee) has been on trial with the Indy Eleven, an expansion team playing in the second-tier North American Soccer League. Whitefish Bay's Peter Wilt is the team's president and general manager.